Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Thursday joined high-ranking U.S. officials to inaugurate the much-awaited Tornillo-Guadalupe Port of Entry and International Bridge.

U.S Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson were among the dignitaries who participated in the ceremony.

Construction on the port of entry began in 2011 and saw a number of delays, particularly on the Mexican side, and will replace the old Fabens bridge that was built in 1938. The bridge will connect Tornillo to Mexico through Guadalupe, a small town south of Fabens.

Nearly $1.5 billion of goods cross between the United States and Mexico daily, officials said. About 80 percent of those goods cross the border via road and rail.

“More than 3,000 trucks cross the Rio Grande every day, carrying Made-in-America products to customers in Ciudad Juarez and transforming El Paso into a North American commercial hub,” Pritzker said. "The new international bridge and port of entry facilities will increase capacity, open a new path to Mexican customers, provide relief to the long lines and congestion often experienced in this region, and make our border more secure.”

Other officials who participated in the ceremony included U.S. General Services Administration Southern Border Executive Charlie Hart, Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha, Mexican Secretary of Finance and Public Credit Luis Videgaray Caso, Secretary of Communications and Transport Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu, and Mexican Tax Administration Service Chief Aristóteles Núñez.

The Tornillo-Guadalupe project was funded by the U.S. General Services Administration, CBP, El Paso County, as well as state and local dollars.

Read or Share this story: http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2016/02/04/mexican-president-us-officials-open-bridge/79827434/